Expectations vs Experience
by WhoGeek
Summary: It has been a year for Nick, Greg, and Elizabeth. One night the unexpected becomes reality, and Nick and Greg are pushed towards an event they wanted to delay, and secrets are revealed. N/G slash. Sequel to "Not What He Expected." ON HIATUS
1. Anniversary

So I did get several requests to use Elizabeth again, and because I like her so much, I decided I would. ... Actually, it was more like this idea came and hit me upside the head like a frying pan one day. I figured that it would be better to start it as another story, as stylistically, the two are very different. Even the ideas as they came to me were different. This one came more like a single continuous thread, whereas "Not What He Expected" was more like a bunch of short bits of thread knotted end to end.

Disclaimer: If I owned... well, it doesn't matter, because I don't own CSI, or any spin-offs thereof.

Also, the title is currently a working title. It might stay.

And the rating may change, and if it does, it will go up.

* * *

Nick was sprawled on Greg's couch, one arm wrapped around the other man's shoulders, the other hand running slowly through his boyfriend's hair. Greg was tucked between his legs and was lying with one ear to Nick's chest, falling asleep to the soothing combination of Nick's heartbeat and the steady motion of Nick's fingers, despite the action of the movie they were supposedly watching with Liz. Elizabeth herself was already asleep and curled into a tight ball on Greg's enormous, overstuffed recliner.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Greg looked sleepily up at Nick, who couldn't keep from smiling at the curious expression directed at him.

"That it'll be one year since you met Liz in a few days. Seems pretty amazing we've managed to keep it together for a year already."

"A year?" Greg licked his lips in thought, Nick mirroring the action unconsciously, "feels like it hasn't been that long yet."

Nick's quiet chuckling got Greg's full attention. "Well, it has." Silence fell but for the movie playing quietly in front of them.

"We should celebrate."

"How?"

"Dinner, movie, bed." Greg wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Well, he tried.

Nick made no attempt to suppress the laugh that worked it's way up through his body. "Seems fitting, seeing as we never really went on a first date."

"Hmm, another reason to celebrate."

"Whats that?"

"What we did the first time I met Liz." A grin spread across Greg's face, which Nick happily replied to with a grin of his own and a chaste kiss.

"Alright. We'll celebrate that too." Nick resumed the steady motion of his fingers as Greg tried to snuggle further into his chest. Several hours later Liz draped a blanket over the two, wrapped in each other's arms. She turned off the tv and crept out, careful not to wake the men sleeping peacefully on the couch.

* * *

A few days later found Nick walking into a nice restaurant on the edge of the city to meet his date. Well, dates. After some deliberation, He and Greg had agreed to invite Liz, as she had become such a permanent fixture in their lives that it seemed strange to contemplate going anywhere without her. Elizabeth had laid down her own conditions, in that she would only be joining them for dinner, and would watch another movie with a friend of hers from her classes who would meet them at the theater. Nick's eyes swept over the small dining area, looking for the distinctive bleached spikes and reddish-brown hair that would indicate his boyfriend and sort-of sister in the surprisingly crowded room.

"Sir, can I help you?" The hostess, a tall slender lady with straight black hair that fell to the middle of her back stepped from behind the tall desk and took a step towards him. "Is there someone you're looking for?"

"Yes. I'm looking for my friends, They told me they were already here." Nick continued to sweep the crowd with his eyes. "Guy with blond highlights and a brunette."

"Ah, right this way Mr. Stokes." Nick startled when the young lady knew his name, but followed behind her to a slightly hidden corner. "Mr. Sanders, Ms. Clark." The two stood up when Nick appeared behind the hostess. "Mr. Stokes has arrived. The lady turned with a small grin to Liz, "And Lizzy, you were right about the Texas accent being unmistakable."

"Yeah, thanks Sandi. I'll see you at the theater later, right?"

"Definitely." Sandi leaned closer to Liz and whispered in her ear so neither Nick or Greg could hear. _"You were right about them making a cute couple."_ She straightened as the girls laughed. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Sandi smiled at the three and left for the front of the restaurant.

Nick stepped towards the table and greeted Liz. "Giving out my name to people now? I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Well, obviously not too bad, 'cause you haven't started squeezing the life out of her shoulder yet." Nick shot an annoyed look at his boyfriend and pulled out his chair.

Liz laughed at their antics as they sat and opened the menus. Nick carefully studied his sort-of sister over the top of his menu. She looked very different from her usual jeans and a t-shirt combo. Her hair was half pulled back, and a couple of chopsticks held that portion in a tight little bun at the back of her head. Her simple black dress was offset by the forest green jacket she had put on over it. Stones matching her hazel eyes sparkled on a necklace and a pair of dangle earrings. "What? Did you think I didn't own any dresses?"

"No. You just look different wearing a dress. You look beautiful. I just don't see you in a dress very often." Nick smiled at her, and she gave a little reluctant smile back.

"Thanks." The waiter appeared to get their drink orders and returned with the drinks shortly and they ordered their food. As they relaxed in the easy atmosphere of the restaurant their playful banter and friendly laughter filled the air around the table. Anytime Sandi showed a group to a table near theirs, she would smile at the trio.

"So I'm guessing that Sandi is the friend of yours you'll be seeing a movie with, right?" Greg motioned with a piece of steak as he asked the question, before sticking the meat in his mouth.

"Yeah, she's a good friend, and I'd trust her with my life, especially in some of our labs. She keeps me from trying to play with some of the chemicals." A sheepish smile spread across her face. "I've only tried a couple of times, but Sandi makes sure I stay in line."

"Ok, enough." Nick interrupted as Greg opened his mouth to say something. "No chem-geek-speak on our date."

"Fine." Greg and Liz huffed simultaneously, and Greg stuffed another bite of steak in his mouth.

"Y'know me too well." Greg spoke around the mouthful of meat.

"Would I be your boyfriend if I didn't?"

"I s'pose not really."

Their playful talk was quieter as they finished their meal and called for the check. "I'm paying." Nick grabbed the check almost immediately after the waiter placed it on the table.

"Then I owe you two for a wonderful dinner."

"No, that's not..."

"Yes, it is necessary. I can't always be going on dates with the two of you. No, I will not be backing down from this decision. I'm paying you back tomorrow for this." Nick stared dumbstruck at Liz, who stared back resolutely.

"Ok." Nick paid the bill, left a tip for their waiter, and the three of them headed out of the restaurant together. Greg and Elizabeth got into Greg's car while Nick climbed into his own to meet back up at the theater.

* * *

"Lizzy!! Over here!" Sandi waved at Elizabeth the minute she came into view of the ticket window, where a line stretched out towards the parking lot. "Hello Greg. Good to see you again."

"Even if it's only been..." Greg turned his wrist to check his watch, "twenty minutes since I last saw you." She still wore the dress she had been wearing as hostess, but her hair was now pulled back in a low ponytail. The three stood in line while they waited for Nick to show up. They had almost made it to the ticket window when Nick walked up behind Greg and startled him by placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Thanks for waiting for me." The sarcasm was thick in his voice as his eyes flicked between Liz and Greg.

"Don't blame me, Greg was driving."

"Greggo? Wanna explain why you left me in the dust?"

"Not really. The light changed, and I wasn't going to wait for you to catch up."

The two girls smirked and turned to get their tickets, Greg getting his and Nick's after them. They continued into the lobby, laughing and chatting, Sandi falling right in with the established friends. Popcorn and drinks were ordered, and the four split and headed into two different theaters, still calling back and forth.

* * *

**AN: this bit is going to be in Liz's POV.**

After the movie, Sandi and I headed out to her car, Nick and Greg had already left the movie theater, and I figured they had headed to Greg's place, because it was a little closer to the theater than the apartments Nick and I live in. "Hey Sandi, could you take me to Greg's place first? I left my book there the other night."

"Well, I've really got to get home." A conflicted expression descended on her face as she tried to decide. "I've got to work early tomorrow."

"You can drop me off at the corner of his street and I'll walk down."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I think I can take on anyone who tried to mug me." Sandi laughed and agreed to drop me off at the corner of the street as we started out of the parking lot.

"Here we are. I can walk from here." I hopped out of the car and leaned down into the window to thank Sandi for the ride. "I'll see you in class on Monday."

"See ya then." I watched her drive off before setting off down the street.

Halfway to Greg's apartment, I passed an alleyway between two storefronts. There was a sudden commotion as two guys jumped out at me and grabbed my arms. My attempt to scream was stopped by a hand clamping over my mouth, the feel of a gun pressing into my stomach making me go still.

* * *

**AN: back to generic**

Nick was lounging on Greg's couch still fully dressed as said man went about the task of preparing some of his coveted Blue Hawaiian Coffee when a thump against the door startled both of them. "What was that?"

"Dunno. Would you check the door for me though." Greg looked at Nick, who rose from the couch and strode towards the door.

"Hello..." Nick's voice faded as he caught sight of a familiar hair stick in reddish brown hair. "Lizzy?!" She was leaning against the door-jamb, head bowed down and seeming very small. Liz looked slowly up at Nick, one arm cradled against her chest and pain evident in her eyes. "Greg! Call 9-1-1 now."

"...ni..nick." His name rasped from her lips just before she collapsed and Nick caught her in his arms. He slid down to the floor, gently holding his sister as he noticed the rip in the skirt of her black dress, now wet and sticky with what Nick took to be blood. Her blood. A gash higher on Liz's side through both her jacket and dress drew his immediate attention and he tried to stop the blood flow, now registering Greg talking to dispatch on the phone. He stared at the still-spreading darkness on Elizabeth's green jacket, even as his palms pressed down on the wound.

He heard the click of a phone closing and Greg's footsteps closing in behind him. "ETA is about 3 minutes."

"Get me some gauze." Greg whipped into action at Nick's command, producing several large gauze squares and a roll of gauze bandaging. Greg ripped opened the first gauze square and Nick lifted his hand so that it could be pressed to Liz's side. "Come on Lizzy, wake up." He muttered to the unconscious figure in his arms until the ambulance arrived. "She's my sister, I'm coming with."

"I'm coming too." Greg's voice was strong and none of the EMT's argued with the two CSI's.

Halfway to the hospital, Liz regained consciousness and began reaching out her good hand. "...nick?...g..greg?" Her voice was still raspy and barely audible over the wailing sirens.

"Here." Nick grabbed Elizabeth's hand between both of his. "We're both here." She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes.

"...they, they raped me. I couldn't stop them." Her voice broke and the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. Greg reached out and put one hand on her shoulder.

"Did you see their faces?" She turned to look at him when he asked the quiet question.

"No. I scratched one, so he broke my arm." Liz's voice was getting less sandpaper sound and more normal, although still a lot quieter than the two men were used to.

"Do you want to get a rape kit done?" She turned back to Nick and stared at him for a moment. Her eyes closed and she took a shaky breath before she nodded once.

"They had a gun. One of them did. He used it to break my arm. The other one had a knife, and he's the one who raped me." She began to speak more freely, and both CSI realized she was detaching herself from the event and her consequent injuries. The ambulance pulled into Desert Springs and Elizabeth was wheeled away, leaving the two CSIs to deal with the paperwork.

* * *

Hmm, Neither Nick or Greg are in danger in this one. Or any of the other CSIs for that matter. And there is purpose behind this story. I think. If I can get my plot puppy to let go of it. Yes, it's a puppy, it's that big of an idea for me.

Please Read and Review!  
I welcome all reviews that are constructive, as well as those that are just ego helpers.

I am looking for a beta, if you are interested, please PM me.


	2. Interrupted

**AN:** So this is what happens when I'm bored and I don't really want to study for exams. I hope everyone is enjoying this. I was going to drag out the whole thing over several chapters, but I couldn't figure out where to break it. I actually rather like the length. (3378 words) Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

* * *

Nick sat nervously in the emergency room's lobby, fidgeting in the hard plastic chair. He and Greg had filled out the information sheet that the nurse had handed to them. As much as they could remember about Lizzy had been put on the sheet. Now Greg was talking urgently to one of the nurses at the desk. He opened his hands and looked at the blood drying on them, staring as he thought of all the blood she must have lost. Suddenly the automatic doors whisked open, and in strode Catherine, heading straight for the desk.

"Greg. What are you doing here?" She walked over to the level one CSI, surprise clear in her voice, her case swinging gently from her hand.

"Friend of ours." He was shaking just a little, adrenaline still running through him.

"Ours?"

"Yeah." Catherine spun to look at Nick, gasping when she saw the blood staining the khaki pants and blue button-down he still wore. "She's like my little sister." He nearly choked on the words as tears tried to pour from his eyes.

"Oh. God." She swallowed, still staring at Nick's bloody form. "Well, I'm sorry to run off on you, but the hospital said that a girl admitted she was raped, and agreed to a rape kit."

"Thats her." Catherine's attention swiveled back to Greg at this new revelation. "Liz, she's the one who agreed to a kit. Nick asked her if she wanted to get one done."

"Really?" Catherine turned again to Nick, who merely nodded. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, before finally speaking her thought. "You do know you won't be able to handle any of her evidence, right?"

The two nodded, and the nurse who had been waiting to take the CSI to the victim spoke. "I can take you to her now, she's conscious and the bleeding has stopped."

"Nick," He looked up, away from his hands once more. "Your clothes." He blinked dazedly at her. "Those clothes are evidence now. I'll call Warrick in to get them and both of your statements." The two nodded.

"We know, Cath, We're both CSIs." Greg spoke for his still dazed boyfriend. "Be sure to ask where she got attacked. If it's near my apartment, I can show Warrick."

"Alright Greg." She turned and followed the now impatient nurse to Liz's room.

Greg sighed, watching Catherine pull out her phone as she walked down the hall. He plopped into the chair beside Nick, giving the older man's shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze. The hand withdrew, and the two sat in anxious silence until Warrick paced into the lobby. "Nick, Greg. You know the deal."

"Evidence, statements, contact info if we remember anything else. That last one is a bit pointless with us." Greg's frank statements scared the dark-skinned man more than he wanted to admit.

"Right." Warrick opened his kit and pulled on a pair of gloves. "I grabbed some clean clothes from your locker before I came. I figured it would be easier to collect the other clothes if you had something to put on." The consideration in his quiet tone elicited a small smile from Nick.

"Thanks, man." He rose from his chair, and the two stomped over to a bathroom, closing the door so Nick would have a little more privacy.

When they returned, Nick in unbloodied clothes and shoes, Warrick pulled out a pad and the two gave their statements. When Warrick's phone rang as he was slipping the pad and pen back into the kit, all three jumped. "Brown."..."Uh, yeah, they're still here."..."Cath says that your friend said she was passing the alley between the Walgreens and the laundromat."

"I know exactly where that is." Greg spoke confidently when Warrick addressed the two of them, his shaking hands hidden from the CSI on duty.

"Yeah, he says he knows it."..."Alright, We'll go now."..."Yes, I'll take them with me."..."Of course not,"..."Cath, calm down. They know the regulations as well as you and I do."..."Okay. I'll see you back at the lab." He snapped the phone shut and indicated that the two should follow him and they headed out to the scene of the crime.

* * *

Warrick parked the denali, grabbed his kit and headed over to the police officer already rolling out the crime scene tape. "Jones."

"Brown." The officer didn't look up as he continued to cordon off the area.

"You're going to have to extend the scene. The victim walked another block and a half, up a flight of stairs, and right into Sander's apartment."

This time the officer stopped in his tracks. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." The officer gaped when Warrick didn't contradict his previous statement. "Sanders? Greg Sanders is involved in this?" At any other time, Warrick would have found the expression on the guy's face completely hilarious, but the feeling of two pairs of eyes watching from the SUV behind him stopped his laughter.

"Stokes too. They were hanging out after seeing a movie, and the victim walked right to Sanders' door." The sound of the vehicle's doors opening and shutting caused the officer to stare at the two coming up behind Warrick, who turned exasperated to his colleagues.

Nick. Greg. You know you can't enter the scene. Officially you're suspects now."

"And you expect us to sit around and do nothing when our friend has been raped?" Greg's vehemence startled Warrick. "We know we're suspects, but the rape kit will clear us. We've got to do something to help."

"I can't just sit there doin' nothin' while you look for evidence to find the bastards who raped my sister." Nick's southern accent twanged thicker than normal, all the emotions swirling behind his eyes. Warrick and the officer looked startled and Nick fidgeted when Warrick raised his eyebrows and stared at him in astonishment. "Well, she's not _really_ my sister, but she's just like a sister." Nick took a half-a-step closer to his friend. "I'm not gunna sit and do nothin' to help Lizzy."

"Nick. Get back in the car."

"NO WARRICK!" The outburst caused everyone to take a step back from the Texan. "I'm not gonna do that. I can't do that."

"FINE!!" Nick stopped just as his mouth opened to yell at his friend again. "You still can't enter the scene, but, we're going to need as many eyes as we can get. there are a couple of flashlights in the drawer under the passenger's seat. Greg, you can walk the officer here down to your door. Nick, you'll help me look for evidence along the sidewalk." The two being addressed scrambled to follow Warrick's quick instructions. The flashlights were quickly retrieved from the drawer and Greg set off down the silent street with the officer unraveling the tape right beside him.

"Thanks man."

"Don't Nick. I'm pushing things as it is. Officially, you should be at LVPD or at the lab under supervision. 'cept I'm your supervision right now. Grissom told me to keep an eye on you two when he heard you were involved in some way. I already took a risk transporting you and the evidence in the same vehicle."

"I know." The friends nodded at each other and Warrick stepped down the alley to start the search.

* * *

Several hours had passed by the time the small entryway to Greg's apartment where Elizabeth had collapsed into Nick's arms had been processed. Catherine had arrived thirty minutes into the search andreassured Nick and Greg that their friend was going to be fine, and that Lizzy had given a statement that would help to clear suspicion on both CSIs. She had begun processing the trail of blood all the way to the apartment. Greg had assisted her, pointing out the necklace and single hair stick Liz had lost in her stagger from the alley. His flashlight had been the one to illuminate the bloody hand-prints all along the walls. As the four CSIs walked end to end one last time, each of them could almost see Liz's determined struggle to safety, the pauses when she stopped to rest and collect her strength.

"I must say Nicky, you have one very determined friend." Catherine surveyed the block and a half, marveling that someone with a broken arm and an enormous gash in her side who had just been raped could stagger the entire distance, losing blood the whole time. A buzzing from her belt and she grabbed the phone, quickly flipping it open. "Give me some good news, Griss." The group waited in silence as she listened to whatever the boss was telling her about Elizabeth's SAE kit, which had been sent straight to the lab. "Alright. Thanks." The cell was clicked shut and she turned to look at the girl's friends. "SAE kit found no match to anyone in the lab, you two are truly off the hook. There was a hit on the material taken from under her nails. Brass is going to the last listed address right now." The satisfied looks that crossed two faces was quickly replaced by worry.

"What about the semen?" Nick's eyes were boring straight into Catherine.

"No match yet, but it's still running, so there's still a possibility of a match."

"Good."

"Alright, I think the scene is clear now. Hey, Jones. We're done, you can open up the scene." Warrick turned to his vehicle, "You two going home, or do you want to come to the lab for a bit?"

"I want to see my sister." Nick's voice was sure and Greg spoke his assent.

"I'll take them. There's something else I want to ask Elizabeth." Catherine led the two down the street aways to her denali and they climbed in and headed back to Desert Palms. Silence permeated the vehicle as the tension in Nick and Greg increased the closer they got to the hospital. Upon arriving, Catherine requested that they be allowed to visit Elizabeth Clark for a moment. The nurse who had taken Catherine to the young woman earlier silently indicated that they should follow her.

"I can't promise she'll be totally herself, she's got some pretty strong painkillers running through her body right now. She's been in and out of coherency for a while."

"That's not a problem." Catherine spoke when she realized that the other two were incapable of coherency themselves at the moment.

"Here." The nurse opened the door, let them in, and closed it behind her.

Silence filled the room as Nick and Greg stared at their friend, her right forearm in a bright green cast. The blanket covered up to her hips, revealing several strips of bandage wrapped around her torso where the light cotton shirt had ridden up. Slowly, she turned her eyes to the small group by the door. She stared right back at them for almost a full minute, when she opened her mouth and spoke. "Unless you brought chocolate or are planning on talking to me, you can leave so I can sleep."

Nick smiled and Greg laughed a little at her.

"Or, y'know, you could do both." Her eyebrows shot up hopefully and her eyes got impossibly wide.

"Good to see you back among the living."

"Good to _be_ among the living. I'm still expecting some chocolate, oh my brother."

At this, Nick's tension disappeared and he laughed a full, from-the-far-reaches-of-the-body laugh. The sort-of siblings grinned at each other and Nick practically bounded across the room to pull Liz into a gentle hug. "You'll get your chocolate." He spoke softly into the side of her head. She grinned as he pulled back and sat in one of the chairs.

"I do get a hug as well, right?" Greg approached the bed, a silly smile on his face.

"Hugs go well with chocolate." The smile turned into a teasing grin.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll get you some chocolate too." He leaned over the bed to give her a hug, then moved around to sit beside the broken arm.

"Do you want a hug as well?" She raised her arms in Catherine's direction, who shrugged, moved closer and gave the younger woman a hug. "And no, you don't have to bring me chocolate."

"If you're the one who's managed to convince Greggo here that he's going to be deaf at forty, I'm fairly certain that the entire night shift will be buying you a rather large box of chocolates." Catherine laughed at Greg's wounded expression, the pleased look on Lizzy's face a great relief to them all. Catherine sat on the foot of the bed, seeing as all the chairs were occupied.

"Thanks. Can you believe they actually gave me pajama pants?" Nick didn't miss a beat in the sudden tangent of their conversation.

"No, I can't. Are they comfy pajama pants?"

"Oh, most definitely. I think that it's cotton, but it's really soft cotton."

Greg laughed. "I think that's the point. Pajama pants are supposed to be comfy. Who would sleep in pajama pants made of rough and scratchy cotton?"

Liz thought about this for a moment. "That's a good point." She paused and something in the way she was sitting against the pillows changed. "Sorry I ruined your night. I realized I'd forgotten my book, so I figured I'd get it, but I didn't quite manage that."

"Hey, you've got nothing to be sorry for. I would rather have you knock on one of our doors and us be able to save you than you not interrupt and die." Nick put his hand on her good hand, squeezing gently.

"Thanks." She reached out her casted arm and pointed at Greg. "It would have been easier if you lived on the first floor. I don't remember much about getting there, but climbing those stairs. Whoo. That about killed me."

"Well sorry, It happened to be the only apartment open when I moved in, and I've gotten to like it." Greg gently pushed the arm away as he defended his accommodations.

"Liz, do they have you on that type of painkiller that makes you hyper and talkative and then extremely sleepy?" Nick was staring at the IV drip bag hanging beside him.

"Ummmmmmm, Yes?" She grinned at him. "You're the one who remembers that kind of stuff."

"Why do I put up with you so much?"

"Same reason you 'put up with' G." Her grin became mischievous, "You lurve me."

The two men stiffened suddenly, and Catherine's jaw dropped. "Elizabeth. Ann. Clark." Nick's clear enunciation was through gritted teeth. "Please tell my you didn't just say that."

"I'm sorry, Nicky. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, you know what most strong painkillers do to me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She faded into silence. A silence that stayed for a very long time, until it became uncomfortable.

"This is awkward." Greg's voice seemed to break all of them back into normal consciousness.

Catherine finally closed her mouth and, after blinking several times and licking her lips she asked the question that Nick had been dreading. "So, are you two together then?"

The two questioned looked at each other, a conversation in glances spoken across the young woman's bed. Finally Nick sighed and dropped his eyes to a spot on one knee of his jeans. "Tonight was kinda our one year anniversary." He began fidgeting his fingers on the spot as he gave a quiet confirmation.

"We were keeping it quiet, 'cause we didn't know how most people would react to us." Catherine looked at Greg, her heart nearly breaking at the insecurity on his face that had only been seen after the explosion and then again after the beating. There was a twinge as she realized she had caused two of those looks now.

There was movement under the blanket as Elizabeth used one foot to poke the older woman. Catherine turned her attention to strong but worried hazel eyes. "They're still the same guys you knew before. And they do each other a world of good."

Catherine blinked several times. Her mouth opened, closed, opened, closed, opened again and she finally found her voice. "A year, huh? And when _were_ you planning on letting the rest of us in on this fact?"

The tension dissolved, at least partly, at her statement. "I dunno. Guess it kinda' depended on when we knew what each of you felt about something like this." Nick smiled at the night shift's mother figure. "Seems we didn't have much say in it in the long run."

"I'm still sorry Nicky. I didn't" Elizabeth was interrupted by an enormous yawn that she completely failed to cover with her hand. Nick grimaced a little at her. "I didn't mean to give everything up without your consent."

"It's okay, kiddo." He set one hand on her arm, a reassuring smile on his face. "I kinda figured that, working with a bunch of people trained to spot the unusual, they would figure it out eventually."

"Lizzy," she turned her head towards Greg now. "One thing I don't get. My street is pretty busy, at all hours of the day and night. How could you go a block and a half without being spotted by a car?"

A now tired and vaguely lopsided grin spread across her face. "Mad ninja skills." Another yawn forced it's way out.

"Alright, visiting's over. Lizzy, get some rest, heal up, and remember, we're here for ya." Her smile was even smaller as she faced the Texan.

"Yep." Elizabeth's eyebrows knitted together as she tried to recall one of her quickly scattering thoughts. "Bring me my sweatshirt."

"Will do. Sleep tight, kiddo." Nick grinned as her face relaxed and her eyes dropped closed. "Cath, G. Let's go. We'll be back tomorrow." The CSIs left the room quietly and headed back to Catherine's SUV. The eastern sky was begining to color as they approached the vehicle.

"Nick, where do you want me to drop you off?"

"Greg's place. My truck is still there from earlier." The three climbed in and most of the trip back to Greg's apartment was silent. "Cath, will you keep us a secret?" Greg smiled tiredly against Nick's arm, knowing his boyfriend was still very skittish about other people knowing who he was seriously dating.

"I'll keep it a secret as long as you want me to." She spotted the relieved expression on Nick's face as he relaxed in the back and laid his head on top of Greg's, who smiled warmly at the contact. _The two of you deserve some happiness. With everything you've been through, a little happiness will be good for you._ "I'll see you two tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, We've got work tomorrow." Greg spoke from his spot, leaning against the Texan's shoulder. "You going to keep working Lizzy's case?"

"Of course. I'll keep you two informed as much as possible." Catherine smiled as the two crawled out of the denali at Greg's apartment. She watched as they climbed the stairs and opened the door, waiting until it snapped closed behind them before pulling out and heading home herself.

* * *

**AN:** I wanted more NG action in this chapter, but you can see how that turned out. I'm gonna get to it (hopefully) next chapter. It probably won't be much, but it'll be there. Reviews are loved forever. Flames are used for cooking. And/Or laughed at. Depends.

Thanks to people who have added this to their alerts. Although reviews are very very nice.

I'm still looking for a beta! Please PM me.


	3. Target

The minute Greg's door closed behind the two men Nick found himself sinking to the floor, tears now running freely down his face. Greg was there with him, both arms wrapped around his lover as he sobbed. "I promised her. I gave her my word. I swore I'd protect her."

"Shhh, Nicky, it's okay. She knows you can't always save her." Greg started pulling Nick up off the floor and towards his bedroom. "Lizzy's a fighter. She'll bounce right back, and we've got to be there for her." Nick followed his lover, hanging onto him like he was the only thing keeping him upright (which was probably true).

"I let her down, G. I couldn't protect her."

"Shush, Nick. She's going to be okay. She's going to be perfectly fine."

"But..."

"No. Elizabeth wouldn't want you to stick on this. She'll want you to be there when she gets out of that hospital, so she can have some semblance of normalcy. Remember what you wanted after Crane, and after the box? You wanted people to stop apologizing and you wanted things to go back to normal." Nick didn't even notice when Greg's bedroom door clicked quietly closed. "We'll be there for her when she needs us, and she knows that." Nick opened his mouth to protest, but Greg's hand covered his mouth. "No. Bed. Sleep. We can go visit her tomorrow and she'll berate you if you don't get any sleep."

Nick nodded silently, knowing it was completely true, and the two quietly stripped to their boxers. Greg closed the blackout shades against the rising sun and slid into the bed and pulled Nick to his chest, one arm wrapped around the older man's waist. Nick slowly fell asleep, curled up in Greg's embrace.

* * *

"Lizzy?" Greg peered around the edge of the door at the hospital bed. Elizabeth sat there, propped up by a mountain of pillows, casted right arm mostly obscured where it rested on another pile of cushions. She was lit by the now sinking sun, it's glow turning the room orange and pink around her. She grinned and marked her place in the book she was reading before setting it on the little tray. "I can come in, right?"

"Of course. And where's my chocolate?" Her grin burst into a full smile as he waved a box of chocolates at her.

"I bring peace in the form of chocolate confection, which is probably banned from your system until further notice."

He stepped into the room and flopped into one of the visitor's chairs, setting the box on her lap. "Ohh, Lindt truffles. Thank goodness your taste in chocolate is as good as your taste in coffee." There was a faint noise from the hallway, and Liz looked up sharply at the door. "Nicky, stop hiding behind the door and come give me that chocolate you have."

"Damn, you're good." Nick shuffled in, holding up his own box of chocolates in front of him like a shield. Lizzy laughed exuberantly, and a little bit of tension seeped out of the still anxious men until she stopped with a groan of pain. "What's wrong? Liz? Are you okay? Should we call a nurse?" Nick rushed over and stood panicking beside the bed.

Liz's uninjured hand rubbed gently at her side. "This bloody gash, I'll be fine, and No." She grimaced and grunted as she sooted the ache. "Don't make me laugh again. It hurts." Nick laughed at the way she pouted like a child before setting his box of chocolates on top of Greg's. "Sweatshirt?" Nick held up the requested item and dropped it onto Liz's head. The thing looked as much like a sweatshirt as a skink looked like a dragon. It was stretched out, ratty, threadbare in places, and the original kelly green had faded to a muted jade color. She wasted no time in wiggling into the oversized thing, being very careful as she pushed the casted arm through. "Thanks, I appreciate you bringing it for me."

"No problem. You're family, we take care of each other." Nick blushed a little at his sentimentality.

"So, when are the docs letting you out of here?" Greg tugged at one corner of the excessively long sleeve as he asked.

"Haven't a clue." She scowled at the door. "They say that they 'want to keep me under observation until my condition stabilizes.' AKA, they don't even know." Nick and Greg couldn't help but smirk at the pretentious tone she had affected for the doctor's voice.

"AKA you lost a lot of blood, and by all rights should, apparently, have never made it to my door." She stuck her tongue out at Greg, who pulled the sleeve again in retaliation. A comfortable silence fell over the three friends in the small hospital room.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Liz's voice was quiet, almost inaudible. "About my case."

"No. We've got to head over to the lab soon." She nodded at Nick. "Umm, they, ah... " Nick rubbed the back of his neck, and Liz narrowed her eyes at him.

"Spit it out, Nicholas. Whatever it is, tell me now."

Nick sucked in a deep breath and then almost literally spit the words out. "Yourattackersdidn'tusecontraception."

She blinked at him. "What?"

Greg sighed and repeated for his flustered lover. "The men who attacked you didn't use a condom."

Liz blinked stupidly for a moment, her mouth hanging open. "Oh."

"OH!?!?" Nick exploded. "Just OH? No 'holy shit, I could be pregnant?' No 'shit, what am I going to do?'"

"NICK! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Liz screamed at him before she clutched her abdomen, curling up in pain. "Owwwww."

"Shit. Lizzy, sis, I'm sorry." Nick sat on the side of the bed, setting the chocolate gifts beside her book and running one hand up and down her back soothingly. "I didn't mean to get you all worked up. I'm sorry."

After he had been repeating 'I'm sorry' for awhile, she finally spoke. "Shut it, Nicky." Nick smiled a little at her use of the nickname, knowing he was forgiven. Her voice was teasing as she said it, and Nick allowed her to sit back against the pillows. "I already knew that, and the doctors already gave me one of those 'morning after' pills if I wanted one." She smiled a little at him. "I did take it, just so we're clear."

Nick sighed in relief, pulling Lizzy into a loose, one-armed hug. "Sorry for making you yell at me. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up."

"It's okay. You're my big brother. You're _supposed_ to get worked up about stuff like that when it involves your little sis." She elbowed him gently. "Now. the two of you have to get to work. I'll talk to you after your shift, right?"

"Duh." Greg rolled his eyes at her as he stood. "What kind of big brother and best friend would we be if we didn't?"

"Get out of here, and let me read my book in peace." She grinned as the two of them scurried out of the room, still calling goodbyes over their shoulders. She smiled slightly and picked her book up again, opening to her marked page.

* * *

"Cath!" Nick called out as he caught sight of her whipping around the corner of the DNA lab, headed towards the break room. He broke into a short jog to catch up with her and then walked calmly into the break room. "Cath, what's up?"

"What do you mean? Nothing is up."

"Cath, you've been avoiding me all night. Something is off." Nick fixed her with a stare that was sad, betrayed, and anxious. "Is there something wrong with Lizzy's case?"

She sighed and poured two cups of coffee, handing one to Nick. "Here. Nick, I know you're worried about your friend, but we haven't got anything ready right now. I have been working as hard as I can to figure this out, but there was a lot to process. You know better than anyone that this will take a while."

Nick heaved a sigh and collapsed into a chair, Catherine sitting in the chair next to him and setting down her cup. "I just feel like I'm not doing anything to help her. I feel like I should be working her evidence or something. I feel so damn useless." He stared into his cup, swirling the brown substance around, but not drinking any.

Catherine lay her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "Right now the thing you can do to help us is to let us work the evidence and find the bastards who think they can mess with the people CSIs care about." Nick looked up sharply from his contemplative cup-staring at the intensity of her voice. Catherine's eyes were fierce and determined, a silent promise in their depths. "Trust me. And don't dwell on how you could have saved her from this. Dwelling on 'what ifs' isn't going to do you or Elizabeth any good."

Nick sighed and opened his mouth to speak when Greg burst into the break room. "Cath! Wendy got a match in CODIS. You've got your second suspect now." Catherine and Nick jumped up and raced for the door, but Greg put his arm out to stop Nick from passing. "Nick, don't."

"But G!" Nick watched as Catherine strode towards the DNA lab and walked in, immediately asking Wendy what she had.

"Nick, Wendy told me who it was. I don't think this was random." Nick turned his attention fully to Greg. "I think that Liz was targeted. I think these guys wanted to get to us."

"What?"

"The skin came back to a conviction from one of the cases I worked. A case I testified in."

Nick stared at his lover. "And the semen?" His voice was quiet. almost a whisper.

"Nigel Crane." Greg's voice was almost inaudible, even in the quiet of the break room. "The semen came back as Nigel Crane."

* * *

**AN:** I think that's a good place to stop for now. I feel so evil. My first cliffie! Well I guess chapter 1 could be counted as a cliffie, but that's a given. Anyways. Short chapter, but it seemed like a good place to pause. I swear, chapter 4 is coming very soon. Also, for the most part, I'll just refer to Nick and Liz as brother and sister. It's easier to type, and it flows better than adding "sort-of" in front every time.

_**IMPORTANT:**_ I'm bumping the rating up next chapter, as it's going to get a little more graphic, and someone is going to go ballistic.

Thanks to **Lily G** and _SuzSeb_ for reviewing chapter 2.


	4. Crane

**AN**: So I couldn't wait on this. I can't do the whole "leave a cliffie and wait like a month to post the next chapter" thing. I'm just not that evil.

* * *

_"Nigel Crane." Greg's voice was almost inaudible, even in the quiet of the break room. "The semen came back as Nigel Crane."_

Nick's world seemed to stop. Everything around him faded except his lover, silently staring at the floor between them and those words, echoing around in his head. "No." He whispered the one word and started walking, ignoring the restraining hand on his shoulder, the stares of all the lab techs as he passed**(1)**, ignoring everything but those seven words that echoed around his head. His feet carried him to the locker room, where he found himself sitting, staring at nothing.

The words that Greg had spoken in the second that he had managed to stop Nick finally penetrated the fog that had surrounded his brain. _"Please, don't do anything stupid. Don't do something that you and Liz'll regret."_ Nick shook his head as memories came flooding back to him. The girl, her hair dyed. The glove. The shattering of glass and the pain as he hit the ground. The hospital. Back to his apartment. The paranoia. Crane crashing through the ceiling. The gun pointed at him. The helplessness. His clothes on the other man. The gun pointed at Crane's own head. The threat to blow his own brains out. Brass and his men. The shaking relief as Crane was led away.

Nick jumped up, unable to sit any longer. he paced, like a caged animal, running his fingers through his hair. The adrenaline running through him causing his muscles to quiver. "SHIT." He turned and swung, his fist smashing into a locker again and again.

"NICK! ENOUGH!" Sara grabbed his wrist, her strong grip bringing him out of the fog. "I heard." She pried his fingers out of the fist he had made and inspected his knuckles. He stared ah his hand, then looked at the locker that had taken his anger. Crimson painted some now jagged edges on the dented locker door. His blood, from his hand. He looked at his hand again, where blood dribbled from multiple cuts that made his hand look like raw meat. "Sit down, Nick. Let's get this cleaned up, and then you're coming with me to lunch." Nick sat, and let Sara clean and bandage his hand, wincing only slightly as she dribbled hydrogen peroxide onto it.

He was silent as she led him out of the lab and slid into the passenger seat without complaint. He finally spoke when both doors were closed and they were moving. "Thank you." Sara glanced at him, but he simply stared at the clean bandage that wrapped his hand. "I just... I dunno. I feel like I coulda stopped this. I coulda saved Liz. I coulda let him blow his brains out. Hell, I got a new place anyway. If I had just let him commit suicide right there, none of this woulda happened. Liz wouldn' be in the hospital, and he wouldn' be around to mess with me."

"Nick. You and I both know that you would never be able to stand yourself if you had just let him pull that trigger. You wouldn't be able to move on. You want to believe the best of people, and a lot of the time you're right, but sometimes, sometimes you're wrong." Nick finally looked at Sara. He gaped at her as her eyes flicked to his and back to the road. "Even Grissom says that your empathy makes you a great CSI. You impress me, because you're always optimistic, and you don't let the cases get you down."

"No, Sara. The cases do get me down. I'm not always optimistic. I keep being wrong about people. I just don't know anymore." Sara pulled into the parking lot of Franks and parked the car.

"Nick, I know I'm not the one to make big speeches like this, but you have friends, and you have someone who's been making you smile a lot more this past year. I don't know who, and I'm not asking you to tell me, although I have a fairly good idea who, but whoever it is, don't stop them from making sure you stay optimistic. Whoever he is, the two of you are lucky to have each other." Sara reached over and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing quickly before she got out of the car.

Nick sat there, stunned, watching Sara walk towards the 24-hour diner. "Wha...?"

Sara turned and called back to Nick. "You coming or what?" He shook his head and climbed out of the car, walking over to his friend and following her into the diner.

When they had slid into a booth and placed their orders Nick turned a demanding stare at his friend. "How did you figure it out?"

"Nicky, I may be a CSI, and I may work better with dead bodies, but I'm still a woman with a woman's intuition." Sara leaned forward on the table. "And, actually, because I'm a CSI, I've got to know if I'm right. Is it Greg?"

Nick nearly choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken. He coughed and spluttered for a moment before regaining control of himself and staring at Sara. "I... well, yes." He blushed a bit and looked down into his cup. "How?"

"You used to stare." Nick blinked at her. "When Greg was in the lab, you would stare. Especially when he danced. And the two of you flirted endlessly. Also, I'm fairly sure I've seen both of you take pictures of each other's asses at crime scenes." She grinned when he blushed further. "The images never showed up at layout, so I'm thinking you would take the picture, look at it, and then delete it. You always smile when he's around, and the two of you have been ultra professional around each other for about a year. I'm guessing that's how long you've been going out?" Nick nodded and Sara continued, quieter this time. "And after the box. I don't think I'd ever seen G so pale. And you were so angry after he got beaten. Even with Crane, and the explosion. I don't think it was quite as strong then, but it was still there. Greggo's hands shook harder when you were around. He was more nervous, and it showed in his hands."

"Please, stop." Nick's voice was barely above a whisper, but Sara nodded and thanked the waitress when she brought their food.

There was silence as they ate, until Sara spoke. "I'll hand it to you two. It took a long time for me to figure it out. It was suddenly so obvious." She paused for a moment to eat more of her lunch. "And surprising as it may seem, you make a good couple." Nick blushed profusely, and continued to eat in the renewed silence. They were just finishing when Sara spoke again. "Although, if you hurt him, I'd have to kill you. Or at least hurt you as much."

Nick laughed a little at this as she grabbed the check and dropped some cash onto the table. "Thanks Sara. I needed someone to knock some sense into me." They walked out of the diner and headed back to the lab.

* * *

**AN: Shortly after Nick and Sara leave**

"Warrick, where's Nick?" Catherine strode up to him in the layout room, worry apparent on her face. "I want to make sure he's not here when we bring in Crane."

"Sara just left with him. I think she means to snap some sense into him." Warrick didn't even look up from the photos and evidence of their case laid out on the table. "Hey, would you take a look at this? I pulled it from one of the walls, and I can't figure out what it is, but it's covered in our vic's blood." He held out a small evidence bag with a small, vaguely triangular chip in it.

Catherine took it from his hands and inspected it. "It looks to me like it's the tip of some sort of blade. She did say that one of them had a knife, but this doesn't look like a knife. It's too thick."

"CATH!!" Greg rushed into the layout room, eyes wild, clutching his phone tight. "Call from my neighbor. She said she heard something outside, and by the time she got to the door to look, all that was there was something stuck in the door. She said it looked like there was blood on it."

Catherine and Warrick looked at each other. "Go on Cath, I'll stay here and finish processing." She strode from the room and headed for the parking lot. Greg turned to leave and was stopped by Warrick. "What are you thinking, Greg? Do you think Crane may have started stalking Nick again?"

"I know Andrew Seznick just wants revenge for me putting him away. I don't know about Crane. I don't know about much of anything right now." Greg walked out of the room, ignoring Warrick as he tried to get him to stop again.

Warrick's phone rang as he turned back to the evidence spread out before him. "Brass, tell me you've got something.....Good. Where was he?....Damn bastard's teasing us..... Greg's neighbor just called, said she heard something, but by the time she got to the door, there was only something stuck in Greg's door.....Alright. I've just got to pack this back up and I'll be right there." Warrick carefully put all the evidence back into the box, slid the photos into the folder and headed for the evidence locker. When he left carrying only the case file he didn't notice Greg following him down to the interrogation rooms.

"Warrick. Crane's in there. He's just as much of an ass as I remember." Brass' rough voice caused Greg to slow when Warrick turned the corner. "Do we have this bastard?"

"We've got him for rape with his semen in the vic." Greg ground his teeth together when Warrick referred to Lizzy as a 'vic' "I just want to figure out the why."

"Alright." There was the sound of a door squeaking open and the two men walked into the room with Crane. Greg slipped around to the one-way mirror and stood watching. "Well well well, Mr. Crane. What a surprise to see you here again. Anything to say for yourself this time." Crane sat there silently. "That's fine. We don't really need you to say anything. We have you for rape and assault with a deadly weapon on Elizabeth Clark. Isn't that right, Brown?"

"Yeah. You see," Warrick began pulling images from the file. "This, is the slice you put into Ms. Clark's side when you were done raping her." He pulled out a couple of printed sheets of paper, DNA results. "And these are the results of Ms. Clark's SAE swabs. And if you look at this, you can see that the seminal contribution is a perfect match to you." Crane remained impassive for a moment longer before leaning forward.

"I figured it would be a good way to send a message."

"And what message would that be." Crane's eyes swung to Brass.

"A message to Nick. A message, for what he became." Greg tensed, staring at Crane as if he could stop him merely with his mind. "I wanted him to know that he shouldn't have done it." Greg started inching towards the door into the interrogation room as Brass and Warrick exchanged brief, uncertain glances. "Oh, so you don't know. You don't know what he is." At this Greg was moving towards the door. "I expected better from a CSI and a Detective. I thought you would have figured it out." Hand on the door "I can't believe you don't see that Nick..."

Crane broke off as Greg came barreling into the room, standing and backing away from the angry figure striding towards him. Crane found himself against the wall and Greg's hands gripping his shirt and pushing him back. "Shut the fuck up. You have no right to talk about Nick. No right. You almost blew his brains out, and then your own." Greg ignored Warrick and Brass, who were attempting to get him to let go of the suspect. "Nick has real friends, who don't try and kill him. There is no fucking way I'll let you talk about my friend like that."

"Greg. Let go now." Grissom's voice and several hands pulling him away brought him back to reality and he released his grip. Crane dropped down and stumbled for a moment.

"Don't touch me again, Fag." Crane spat at Greg once he had regained his breath, then doubled over as Warrick's fist smashed into his gut.

"Don't mess with mad scientists, ass. _I_ won't let you talk about any friend of mine like that."

Greg stood there shaking with adrenaline that had begun to quickly recede from his bloodstream. "Shit." He whirled and raced from the room, quickly followed by the other two CSIs. He leaned against the wall, sliding down it as his actions caught up with him. "I'm in it deep now, aren't I, Griss?"

Grissom glanced between his CSIs, and was silent for quite a while. "I think, Greg, that you owe us a lot of explaining." He held up one hand when Greg opened his mouth to protest. "I also think, that these past two days have been exceptionally trying, with your friend being raped and find out that the perpetrators are from your's and Nick's past, and I don't expect any explanation tonight. You will, however, go home and cool off. I cannot allow my CSIs to work when they cannot think clearly."

Greg hung his head and nodded. "Thanks, Grissom."

"Greg, do you realize you lifted Crane off the floor?" Greg looked up at Warrick and blinked in surprise. "You were holding him almost six inches off the ground."

"Warrick, You know you'll have to answer for your actions as well. I'll let you slide for now, because we are effectively short-handed. I will have to cite you."

"It was worth it." Warrick's face turned determined for a moment, before he turned and gave Greg a smile. "Especially after Greggo here shoved him up the wall." Warrick held his hand out to help Greg up, which he took gratefully. "I never knew you had it in you."

Greg chuckled dryly. "Neither did I."

Grissom interrupted them. "Greg, go home. Go visit your friend. Go do something, but for now, stay clear of the lab."

Greg nodded and headed for the parking lot. Grissom and Warrick stood in silence as they watched their youngest leave the building, shoulders tense. "I'm guessing you didn't hear what Crane said."

"No. I was just passing when I heard shouting. Mostly from Greg. Would you fill me in on your case?"

They started walking away from the interrogation room and headed back towards the lab. "Well, when we got here tonight, we hadn't heard much, because the uni's hadn't brought in the suspect whose DNA was under our vic's fingernails, an old conviction of Greg's, so we started processing the physical evidence. Cath got a page from Wendy, CODIS had a hit on the semen. That got Brass searching for exhibit A in there. Meantime, Greg and Nick found out, Nick stormed off towards the locker room. Sara came by the layout room where I was, asked after Nick, said she was going to try and get him to concentrate on something other than his friend being raped. They took lunch. Shortly thereafter, Greg received a call from a neighbor, she said that she had found something embedded into his door. Catherine went to retreive that, and Brass called to say that Crane had been found. He was close to Greg's place, and Brass brought him in. I came down here, apparently followed by Greg. Brass and I began the interrogation, when Crane suddenly started spouting off about sending a message to Nick about what he had become. Then he started on about us not noticing. That's when Greg came in and went all angry and dangerous on him. You know what happened from there."

Warrick and Grissom walked into Grissom's office, sitting down in respective chairs. "I do know. I don't know why. And I'm not sure we'll get a straight answer from Greg anytime soon."

"So, we aren't really short-handed, why did you say that?"

"I'm sending Nick home as well. He'll be in a similar state, and there is worse risk of Nick hurting himself in the long run if he and Crane come close to each other. I need you to go back to what we have, and write out your report." Grissom picked up his phone, and Warrick took that as his signal to leave and so he walked out and retrieved his box of evidence.

"Hey 'Rick. I've got what I think is our blade." Catherine fell into step beside him as he headed back to layout. "Here it is, Nigel Crane's weapon of choice this time around: a bayonette."

* * *

**(1)** News travels fast in the lab. Nothing is secret.

_SuzSeb_: of course not, but they have to try.

_knadineg_: Hmm, I don't think this is quite how you expected it to happen.

_Lily G_: Of course. But we haven't actually seen Lizzy when no one's around.


	5. Motive?

**AN**: So there is sex. Figured I would warn you. If you don't want to read it, don't. And please review.

* * *

"Nick, I'm sending you home. You and Greg are on paid leave until further notice.... Your emotions are too strong right now.... Nick, this is an order. I need you to go home and cool down..... Then go see your sister, I will get in contact with the hospital and arrange something so that you and Greg can keep an eye on her..... Just don't make me regret it." Grissom closed his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. He opened his phone again and dialed a too familiar number. "Hi, this is Gil Grissom with the crime lab. I have a couple of CSIs..."

* * *

Sara stared at Nick over the hood of her vehicle, a question etched onto her face. "There's no point taking me back to the lab, Griss just put me on paid leave. Greg too. Could you drop me off at Desert Palms?"

"Sure." Sara said nothing more as they got in and headed for the hospital. She only spoke again when they arrived and Nick moved to take off his seatbelt. "Hey, don't let this get you and Greg down. I can stand one of you pessimistic at a time, but both of you is too much. Take care of yourself."

"I will. Thanks Sara." Nick climbed out and watched her pull out before heading into the building. He approached the front desk to aquire a visitor's pass. "Hi. I'm Nick Stokes. Here to see Elizabeth Clark."

The nurse on duty looked at him and opened her mouth to let this man know that visiting hours were long over when a head nurse strode over. "Mr. Stokes, good. Mr. Grissom said you would probably be here around this time. Mr. Sanders got here just a little while ago himself." Nick's brow knitted in confusion for a moment before he remembered that Greg would have arrived before him, having the time off as well. "If you'll follow me."

Nick nodded and gratefully followed this powerful matron figure. "Thank you ma'am. We appreciate you doing this for us."

"Bah, it's what I'm here for." The woman's voice softened suddenly. "Poor girl needs some company. We can't keep her from having nightmares with morphine or anything. She asks for you, when she's woken up enough to be mostly coherent. 'Is Nicky here?' Every time. Always the same question." She looked at Nick, her gray eyes piercing. "I saw her when the two of you were here. She tries to make it look like everything is fine, but it's not. She's trying to be strong, and if she keeps it up, she'll eventually collapse in on herself from the strain." She went back to a more normal voice as she opened a door. "Here you go Mr. Stokes. Elizabeth will be asleep for some time. She's been in a lot of pain from the broken arm."

"Thank you. I appreciate your help." She smiled at Nick, somehow knowing he wasn't just talking about taking him to Liz's room and closed the door as she left.

Greg looked up from his spot in the chair by the window, his knees pulled up to his chest, and Nick saw the tears running down his lover's face. "Nicky. He's horrid. And I... I picked him up, and slammed him against the wall. It took Warrick, Brass and Griss to get me to let go." Greg babbled on, his voice cracking on most of his words.

"Woah, G, calm down." Nick strode over to the other man, suddenly very worried about his boyfriend. "What happened?"

"They brought Crane in, and I followed Warrick down to the interrogation room and watched, and he started rambling on about you. He was talking about us. I know he was. I had to stop him Nick. I couldn't let him do that to you. I..I stormed in, and I shoved him against the wall and lifted him off the floor. And....and... and" Greg gulped and whispered the next few words. "They're going to find out. We can't hide it anymore. I'm sorry Nicky."

"Hey, hey. It's OK. Really. Sara already knows." Greg looked up, startled. "She figured it out on her own." Nick smiled weakly. "She also threatened me if I do anything to hurt you." Greg gave a strangled laugh through his tears. "We've been through worse. We'll get through this with no problem." Nick spotted another chair in the room and pulled it up next to Greg's, sitting down to get some semblance of rest.

They fell asleep soon after that, while Liz slept fitfully on the bed, the sweatshirt pulled up around her face, obscuring her from view.

* * *

Hours later, Nick is jolted awake in the now-dim hospital room. He scans the room, searching for what jolted him into wakefulness, but nothing catches his attention. He is about to go back to sleeping when he hears a noise. "Liz?" He keeps his voice low, the dim lights calling for 'secretive' actions.

She whimpers again, and Nick is instantly beside her. He notices for the first time that a nurse must have adjusted her IV drip to accommodate the sleeves of the sweatshirt. A louder cry and Liz stiffens against the cushions. "noooo." The word breezes out of her, barely above audible levels. "leave 'er 'lone." Liz groans, long and low and quiet. "please, no. Don't!" The disjointed words are barely decipherable, barely heard.

Nick's gasp brings Greg awake, and he hurries over to Lizzy. "What's going on, Nick?"

"She's dreaming. She's dreaming about part of the reason I'm her family." Nick was somber as the two men watched his sister turn restlessly in her sleep.

"Do you know what happened?" Greg twined their fingers together below the edge of the bed.

"Only a little. What she's told me, for the most part." They resumed their silence, pulling the chairs up right next to the bed, eventually returning to sleep, slumped against each other as close as they could get to the bed.

* * *

Nick woke to an annoying draft on his face. He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking Catherine's worried face into focus. "What are you doing here?" He whispered the question, then stiffened when he realized he and Greg were still leaned against each other.

"I know already, remember?" She smiled at him. "I'm sending you and Greg home. Liz is in very capable hands."

"What time is it?"

"Almost seven. And someone wants to talk to you."

"Nicky." He looked over at Liz's drawn face, her skin unusually pale, the mischievous glint in her eyes missing. "Go home. I'm perfectly fine here. And Catherine has agreed to stay with me for a while."

"Did you catch them?"

"Yes, but, Crane..... The rest of the shift is starting to ask questions. Questions about you. I don't think you'll be able to hide much longer."

"Sara knows." Catherine blinked and smiled just a bit. "She figured it out on her own."

"Actually, we figured it out. We were fairly certain, but we wanted to let you tell us when you felt ready." She smiled at his worry. "And no one else has figured it out yet. And if you hadn't noticed, we were helping you out on occasion. All those times when Sara would deliberately flirt back at Greg here, or when I would ask you about your girl, we were laying rumors and keeping the techs off you."

"Enough, Catherine. Let him go home." Nick was grateful for Liz's timely interruption. "He's got enough loaded onto him right now."

"Right. Go home, get some rest. REAL rest."

"G, wake up." Greg groaned as Nick jiggled his shoulder. "Come on, we're going home."

Greg groaned again and sat up. "Home?"

"Yeah, Greggo. Home."

Greg hummed his agreement and stood, following Nick from the room.

"Catherine. What are their names." Catherine looked away from the door and stared at Elizabeth, who refused to meet her eyes. "The men who attacked me. Who are they?"

"Nigel Crane and Andrew Seznick. Crane stalked Nick at one point, and Greg's DNA evidence put Seznick behind bars at one point. It was a case days had, but Greg had been filling in for their DNA guy because he was out sick for several weeks. We believe they were trying to scare Greg and Nick by attacking you."

"No. It's Andrew." Liz's face was pale and tense. "Can you do something without anyone else knowing? Could you do that for me?"

"I have to know what, first."

"Case 237841, from 2001. Can you bring the case file here? I have something I want to tell you."

* * *

When Greg pulled up to Nick's apartment and killed the engine, there was silence. Neither said a word as they both climbed out of the car and made their way inside. Greg could still feel jolts of adrenaline rushing through him, and Nick's slow pace wasn't helping him. The second the door closed behind them Greg had his boyfriend pinned to it and was desperately kissing him. Nick let the slighter man take control, recognizing Greg's need to feel in control of _something_ right then.

It took seconds for them to reach the bedroom, and both were in nothing more than boxers by then. They would pick up the discarded clothes later. Greg pinned Nick to the bed, his mouth leaving hot trails across the older man's chest.

Nick groaned, arching into the sensations. One of Greg's hands slid down and both were suddenly divested of the last barrier. The hand returned to Nick's wrist, then trailed down the muscular arm to his face. Nick quickly sucked the fingers of that hand into his mouth, sucking and licking. His one free hand gripped Greg's hip, his thumb stroking soft circles just above Greg's pelvis.

When Greg's fingers tugged free from his mouth and the soaked digits began to circle teasingly, Nick whimpered and had to force himself to relax. The first finger plunged in suddenly, stroking and probing in the slight pain until it found that tiny spot that made Nick scream with need.

Greg's second and third fingers swiftly followed the first as Nick groped around for the lube. The moment it was found Greg pulled his fingers out and slicked his cock. He thrust into Nick with no warning, hitting Nick's prostate on the first stroke. Greg's hand released Nick's wrist, and they gripped each other's waist as Greg pumped into Nick. One of Nick's hands slid around to probe at Greg's anus, causing him to shudder. One fingertip slipped in, and Nick was rewarded with a hand around his own member, slowly stroking up and down the length.

A steady rhythm built as they worked each other. Nick's finger was almost all the way in when Greg finally broke the silence. "More, Nicky. Please." Nick shuddered and pushed his finger all the way in, hitting Greg's own prostate and igniting their shared orgasm.

They pulled apart and curled up together, sticky and exhausted. "I'm here G. I'm yours."

"Thanks." The two of them fell into a dreamless sleep at long last.

* * *

Catherine's return to Elizabeth's room was unhindered, the security and personnel of the Hospital simply letting her pass upon seeing the LVPD case file in her hands. She closed the door when she arrived and dropped the case file on the tray. "Now. What's going on. And I had better get a good explanation."

"You will." Lizzy took a deep breath and looked straight at Catherine. "Have you looked at the file yet?"

"No."

"Go ahead and look." Catherine picked the file up again and flipped it open. She gasped when a blank-faced, bruised and battered Lizzy stared at her from a photograph. She dropped the file back onto the table and sat shakily in one of the chairs. "What happened?"

"Let me start before that happened. When my brother married, he didn't realize he married into the Mob. With my parent's gone Jacob was my family. Because of who he married, I was unwittingly added into the Family. I walked on needles. Then my brother died. A car accident. A drunk driver who also died when his vehicle caught on fire. By that time I had no way out. I knew too much already. I was protected and cared for, I had an apartment on my own that I paid for, but most of my friends had abandoned me. When one of my last few friends told his parents he was gay, they disowned him and I took him in. By that time I was still under the Family's protection, but I didn't know as much. I wasn't as much of a liability. They let me go out and do more, but they kept me protected. If I was harmed, my attacker lost a hand or a foot or his life. Adam, my friend, was being threatened here and was repeatedly attacked, once in front of my eyes, but my protection didn't extend to him, so he left for San Francisco. One day I was attacked because I tried to help someone who was being raped. The evidence collected from me and the other victim convicted one Andrew Seznick." She flipped a page and focused on the face of her attacker.

"So Greg processed the DNA from your case, and he doesn't even realize it?"

"Apparently. And don't tell him." Liz took a deep breath and launched back into her tale. "The Family was furious. They had no reason to harm him while he was in jail, but they wanted to remind me that I was still under their protection. I severed my ties with them, told them that my brother had been dead for nearly five years, and that I no longer considered myself part of the Family. They acquiesced and told me that I was no longer under their protection, but they continue to keep tabs on me, and will do me small favors now and then. Unfortunately, they still held a grudge against Seznick, and when he was, somehow, released they beat him for my injuries. That was 2 years ago, and I hadn't heard from them since then." Liz let several tears roll down her face and sniffled violently. "I moved from my old apartment then, and ended up living next to Nick. We quickly became friends, and now we consider each other family. Me because I have no family to my name, and Nick because he likes being the 'big brother' type. I didn't think Seznick would be able to find me again, but apparently he did. Probably through, what's-his-name, the stalker?"

"Crane."

"Yeah, Crane. Probably found me through Crane, because Nick and I were often together, and, well, he and Seznick probably met while they were in prison. They decided to get back at our- by now- little family by attacking me."

Catherine was silent as she digested this. "Makes sense."

Lizzy burst into tears. "What am I gonna' do? They're gonna' find out. They'll know what happened to me." Catherine sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I never told Nick, or Greg. I can't. I can't put them through that."

"Shhh. Liz, calm down. Why didn't you tell Nick?"

"Because it's my little secret. I didn't want to get anyone else involved." She buried her face in Catherine's shoulder as well as she could. "He's the only family I've got. He's my big brother. I can't lose him."

"Elizabeth." She quieted instantly at the tone in Catherine's voice. "Nick and Greg will not leave you because you were a victim. They were both victims themselves at some point. Nick is more likely to be annoyed that you didn't tell him before." She ran her hand over the young woman's back. "Besides. If Nick and Greg are your family, by extension, the rest of Night Shift is kinda like a bunch of distant relatives."

Liz sniffed again, quieter. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"Now. On a lighter note, tell me about how you figured Nicky likes guys."

She gave a watery laugh and sat back against the pillows. "Well, the first clue was about a month after I moved in, and he had introduced himself and we were starting to become friends. I had a problem with my dryer, so I had the super get a guy in. The maintenance guy was there when Nick called, asking if I had some eggs, because he was making cornbread and didn't realize that he was out. I told him to come right over, and I get him the eggs and we talk for a moment, when I notice that we both keep looking at the same thing: the maintenance guy's ass. I didn't say anything, and he left. Couple months later, we'd gotten to be a sort-of family, and he had invited me over to watch a game with him. Nicky got rip-roaring drunk. I mean, flat out smashed. He starts babbling on about this guy at his work, and how funny, and smart, and annoying, and sexy he is, and spouting off all these stories about this one guy. He passes out, and when he comes to, I wait for his hangover to pass somewhat and simply confront him. He got this absolutely terrified look on his face, and asked if I was going to stop being a friend and like 'the little sister I never had' and ignore him. Once I persuaded him that I wasn't going to do that, he admitted that he's gay and told me he'd been lusting after/crushing on this one guy at his work for a long while. He always though he never had a chance. I think it helped him, knowing he had someone to turn to when he needed to talk about his crush." Lizzy yawned, turning her head away from Catherine. "Sorry. I'm getting kinda tired."

"I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Thanks. Again. And again, I appreciate that." Liz leaned back further and closed her eyes. "Tell me about the lab? Tell me about some of the things that my brother has done."

"Ok." Catherine smiled and started talking quietly, lulling Liz to sleep. When she was certain the girl was asleep, she stood and left without making a sound.

* * *

**AN:** I feel so happy, although there are no scenes at the lab in this chapter, I felt like I needed it here. I didn't see any other place to put it. Although I do bring out my second attacker here. And the facade begins to crumble. ~.^

_SuzSeb_: I'm glad you picked up on that. I wasn't sure it would work. Ah but of course it will! And I'll have to see. I've still got a second attacker to talk to.

_Lily G_: Thanks, I liked writing that bit. Especially the "I'll have to kill you" bit. Gotta love the little plot twists.

_gaelgirl13_: The encouragement is much appreciated.


	6. Unraveling

"Wendy, tell me that you've got results from our blade." Warrick strode into the DNA lab and leaned on the work table.

"The DNA profile is running right now. Why do you need this?"

"The blade was broken short, only about 7 inches long. There was blood the whole length of the blade, telling me that whoever used it as a hand weapon didn't wrap anything around it to protect his hand. I'm hoping to get a match to Crane to solidify our case."

"Well, I tested the whole blade, so the victim's blood might show up as well, if she's in the system." A machine bleeped and the printer pushed out two sheets of paper. "Results." Wendy pulled the pages out and glanced over them. "Nigel Crane, assailant end, and... Elizabeth Clark.... " Wendy looked up at Warrick, confusion written across her face. "She's in the system. Witness/victim in a rape/assault case almost 8 years ago."

"Bring up the case file number."

Wendy turned to her computer and Warrick stood behind her, peering at her screen. "Here. Case number 237841, from 2001."

"Thanks Wendy. I'm going to go find that file." Warrick turned and strode from the room. He strode determinedly towards records, intent on finding the old file. It took him just a minute to locate the correct aisle, cabinet and drawer, and he quickly yanked it open. "830, 835, 840, 842? Where is it? It should be right here." He muttered angrily before slamming the drawer shut again and turning to leave.

"Warrick? What are you doing down here?" Catherine stood at the end of the row, confusion and worry showing in her face.

"Looking for an old case file. 237841. It's relevant to the victim. I wanted to see if there was a connection to our second assailant."

"That would be this file." Catherine held out the file to a now gaping Warrick.

"How did you know?"

"Nicky's little sister is very smart, and she figured out a connection long before we saw one. She wanted to tell me about it, and so she asked me to bring her case file."

"Damn. So the old case _is_ relevant."

"I'm afraid so. And Nick doesn't know about this case, and neither does Greg, even though he processed the DNA for this case."

"Damn." Warrick rubbed the back of his neck, thinking deeply. "Now we've got to connect Crane and Seznick. First though, can I see that old file?"

"Yeah. Elizabeth was a witness who tried to help, and ended up a victim herself." Catherine handed Warrick the file and they headed for the door. "Seznick was put in jail because of the DNA evidence that was pulled from under her fingernails."

Warrick flipped open the file and stared at the bruised face in the photograph. "So this is Elizabeth. I hope she looks better this time than she does in this photo."

"Hmm? That's right, you haven't met her." Catherine pressed the button for the elevator and stood back to wait. They were silent until they stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut.

"Cath, when I was talking to Crane, he started saying things about Nick. I didn't think much of it at the time, but something about what he said keeps coming back to me." Catherine tried to conceal the compulsive tensing, but Warrick noticed it silently. "He said something about 'So you don't know what he is.' Then, after we stopped Greg, Crane called him a fag. I stood up for him, but, I don't know." Warrick turned to Catherine. "Do you think Nick would tell me if he was gay? I mean, I've suspected Sanders swung both ways, but Nick always gave off the whole, 'straight cowboy' vibe."

Catherine though for a moment. "Let me put it this way: Would you tell Nicky if you were gay?"

"Hell no. ... Oh." Warrick turned and stared at the elevator door, Catherine smiling almost smugly.

"Do you think he's gay?" Catherine asked very quietly, just as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open. They walked out into the lab and headed for the layout room, Catherine collecting the current file on the way.

Warrick didn't respond until they were in the layout, closing the door first so they wouldn't have to worry about the lab rats gossiping. "Well, a lot of things would make sense if he was."

"Like?"

"About a year ago, Nick was talking in the locker room about asking someone on a romantic date. He said that he'd wanted to ask for ages, but he'd always been too scared at the last minute. I didn't notice then, but he never specified the gender." Warrick looked up from laying out the old evidence file to see Catherine giving him an incredulous look. "OK, OK. I did notice, but I didn't want to think about it."

"You still haven't answered my question. Do you think Nick is gay?"

Warrick stopped moving, still holding several pages from the file. He stared at the papers for several minutes, lost in thought. "I really suspect that he is." Warrick looked at Catherine. "Do you think I should ask him?"

"No." Warrick startled at her quick response. "At least not now. He's under a lot of stress, and I don't think being asked about his sexual orientation is a good idea at the moment."

"Yeah. Makes sense. Thanks, Cath."

She smiled, turning serious a moment later. "Now, we know that Crane is the one who raped her, and gave Lizzy the gash in her side, and according to her statement, Seznick had the gun and broke her arm after she managed to scratch him."

"How did she manage to make these connections without knowing all the evidence?"

"I don't know, but we don't have Seznick yet, and we need to talk to him." Catherine set down the images of Liz and spread them out on the table. "We need to figure out how the two of them ended up working together."

"Where were they?"

"Checked that already, different prisons." Catherine leaned on the table, one hand tucking a strand of hair behind her head. "And they weren't convicted at the same time."

Warrick stared at some of the prison records that had made their way into the file. "What about parole officers? Could they be reporting to the same officer? Or the same location?"

"I hadn't thought about that. I'll check it out." Catherine strode from the room, leaving Warrick once again looking over the evidence.

* * *

Elizabeth sat staring at the same page in her book that she had been on for nearly fifteen minutes. She hadn't comprehended a word of it. Her good hand had been steadily working it's way through layers of bandages, searching for the seeping gash on her side. She flinched slightly when her fingers made contact with the growing bruise on her side, slowly working her fingers to the first few stitches, softly running the tips of her fingers along the wound.

A nurse walked in, and she quickly snatched her hand from under the bandage. The short hiss of pain she let out as a finger snagged briefly on a stitch alerted the nurse, who was at her side almost immediately. "Is there something I can do for you? What's the problem?"

"Side." Liz stretched slightly, pulling the wound away from the wrappings ever so slightly. "I think I snagged a stitch on the wrap." Lizzy grunted, pulling her knees up just a little to hide her damp fingers, and she wiped them across the inside of one pant leg.

"Let's take a look." The nurse pulled her gently into a sitting position and pulled up her shirt, quickly unwrapping the bandage to check the stitches in her side. "Looks pretty good, I don't think you pulled anything out, but the bandage was a bit too lose. Try not to move around so much, you could compromise the healing."

"Yes ma'am." Lizzy sat still while the nurse finished redressing the wound, and lay back against the pile of pillows. She had responded on automatic, years of training filling in the appropriate responses whenever the nurse paused long enough to allow a response. Her mind wandered to the secret she had been keeping for nearly three years. _'I can't tell them. There's no way they would trust me if they knew I'd been connected to the mob.'_ A more sensible part of her mind retorted, the clear voice of reason in the turmoil of her head. _'Catherine didn't run. And she still trusts me.' 'Does she? You hardly know her, and she may just be very good at not showing her mistrust.' 'But she listened to you, and she comforted you. That should count for something.'_

"Hey." Elizabeth startled when she felt cool water splash onto her face. "Stop thinking so loud. You're giving me a headache." The nurse smiled at her, wiping water from one hand with a towel. "Whatever you were thinking about, just let things take their own course, we're all just along for the ride."

"Sorry, it's just..." She trailed off, staring at her hands in her lap.

"What. It's just what?" The young nurse sat on the edge of the bed, and waited.

Suddenly, Elizabeth found herself telling this stranger everything: from her brother's marriage, to his death, to the first attack, everything about Seznick, and the attack the previous night. Within five minutes, she was curled up in a miserable ball, burrowed into her pillows.

"Ms. Clark?"

"Go 'way." She muttered, angry at herself for letting the pain medications loosen her tongue. The nurse stood, heading quietly for the door. "Don't tell anyone."

"I won't, Ms. Clark."

* * *

"Nick?"

"Yeah, G?" Nick stopped running his hand through Greg's hair when his voice whispered in the dark.

"Lizzy's going to be ok, right?"

Nick heaved a sigh, Greg's chin digging into his shoulder as he peered up at Nick's face. "Yeah. She's a tough one, and she'll be back to normal in no time."

"I just, I don't want you to get all worked up about it."

"So says everyone else."

"Because we know you. We know you'll get worked up over this, and you'll blame yourself." Greg pushed himself up to stare down at his boyfriend. "You'll blame yourself, even though the only people to be blamed are the guys who attacked Lizzy."

"I know G. I know." Greg lay back down on Nick's chest, pulling the covers up over them further. "It's part of who I am, I can't help it."

"I know." Greg sighed, his breath ghosting across Nick's bare torso. They lapsed into silence, and started drifting off to sleep, and Nick was startled when Greg spoke again, thinking that Nick was asleep already. "Love you, Nicky." Greg's breathing evened out, and Nick lay awake for some time after.

"Love you, Greggo." Nick whispered the words, knowing Greg was fast asleep, and hand been for a while, but knowing it was true.

* * *

"Hey Griss."

"Warrick. How's the case coming?"

"Slowly, Cath is checking to see how the suspects are connected, because there is nothing other than the current crime."

"Well, I've got how they connected." Catherine walked up, holding a bunch of papers in her hands. "Two different parole officers, but, they were regularly checking in at the same locations around the same times. There's your connection."

"You two keep working, Brass just called, they finally found Seznick."

"Great, where was he?" Warrick smiled somewhat at the good news. "When can we talk to him?"

"You can't. He's dead."

* * *

**AN:** EEP!! Please don't kill me. I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages, but life kinda got in the way. Also, yes this chapter is a bit short, but it fits fairly well in my average, and it was too good a place to stop. Also, I didn't really see the "He's dead" bit until I had written it. It just kinda came out. .... I'm not actually sure how I'll continue this from here, although, I do have some vague Ideas.

REVIEWS!!

_Lily G_: Indeed, she has. And I liked it too. Fits Lizzy's personality. She can be painfully blunt sometimes.

Hey, please review. I try not to, but I do update faster when I get more reviews. It's that ego thing, we writers like feeling appreciated. (Oh boy, here I go, using the "Royal We.")


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